Resources
Free Book Marketing Guide
… for Authors and Self-publishers. See our resources in this free book marketing guide.
Sell books on Amazon.com.
- Print with Star Print Brokers for the highest quality and custom printing and binding options. But, sell the book on the site where it will be seen by the greatest number of book buyers. Ask for reviews on your blog and on your Amazon Author page. Send a request to your email list. The reviews can post on Amazon to promote book sales.
- Write a book description. Write a paragraph or so, that will prompt people to buy. The description for the back cover will help to drive sales. It should be a page in ‘Look inside’.
- Choose up to 7 keywords. Readers won’t necessarily be searching for your book on Amazon. Choose keywords or keyword phrases. An example word might be ‘cookbooks’. A phrase might be ‘Country BBQ cookbooks’. A keyword and keyword phrase are the same thing. It is helpful to find keywords that people are looking for. Choose a dozen. Check traffic for each. Google AdWords is helpful, but there are other sources too. If the keyword is too broad, like ‘cookbook’, your book will be one of thousands. You are not likely to land on page 1. Test keywords by searching on Amazon. The books results may be your competitors. How do they rank? Narrow the keywords down to 7.
More SEO advice about your Amazon listing …
- Choose 2 categories for your book. ‘Cookbooks’ in general is a broad category. It is difficult to get to page 1 on search results. Pick the best categories your book.
- If you have a children’s book, make sure you are found in the right age group. Here is a free book marketing guide tip. Set the target age ranges and grade levels for your books on Amazon.com:
Age, Grade Level, Description
- 0 – 2, N/A, Board books
- 3 – 5, Preschool, Picture books
- 6 – 8, Kindergarten – 2nd grade, Early-level readers, first chapter books
- 9 – 12, 3rd grade – 6th grade, Middle-grade chapter books
- 13 – 18, 7th grade – 12th grade, Teen and young adult chapter books
Create a Social Presence.
This free book marketing guide advises authors to become social. It is less important than printing with Start Print Brokers and selling on Amazon, but it can help your website popularity.
- Goodreads. Sign up as an author. Do a book giveaway. Ask for reviews. Add the title, author, and links to where they can post or send reviews.
- Facebook. Create a Facebook page.
- Twitter. Tweet about your book. The key here is to build quality followers who would potentially buy your book.
- LinkedIn offers quite a few groups for authors to join. Find useful information and compare notes with other authors.
- Pinterest is fun for many. Pin and share photos.
- Book Signing. Hold a book signing. Check with the manager of local bookstores, libraries, or any good place to sell your book.
- Fairs. An art, photography, or travel book does well at local or regional fairs.
Sum it up. Spend time on the most productive aspects of free book marketing. That is direct sales, and sales through Amazon. Connect with email subscribers. Getting your message out to them is another great source for free book marketing. They might buy your next title! What have you learned in the free book marketing guide?
Above all else, ask for the business …
Call (844) 603-1777 toll-free, or (425) 603-1777 in the Seattle area. You can request a quote today!
Free Book Marketing Guide.
Write, photograph, or illustrate your book. Content is the focus in the Free Book Marketing Guide. We offer advice for self-publishers.
Write, photograph, or illustrate your book. Content is the focus in the Free Book Marketing Guide!
We offer a free book marketing guide here, and advice for self-publishers.
Start with a quote for book printing. Authors need to know their production costs before planning marketing. Get your own ISBN and barcode. You will need to know the retail price when buying a barcode. So, how do authors get started with free book marketing guide and advice? Here goes …
- Art, illustration, photography. If it is part of the book, make sure it is professional quality.
- Editing. Hire a proofreader and editor.
- Set the retail price. This is an essential tip in the free book marketing guide. Know the approximate page count, dimensions, binding style, and cover materials. You will have this in the printing quote. Go to a bookstore and Amazon.com. Select books to evaluate that are similar to your book. Check the retail cost located in the upper right corner of the barcode. Also, check the copyright page to see when the book was last printed. Compare books that were printed recently.
Realize that your book will be deeply discounted when you sell on Amazon.com. Make sure your price is not too low.
Your book will be deeply discounted when you sell on Amazon.com. Make sure your price is not too low. You can always put a book on sale. Amazon will charge about 15 percent to post your book. You do the fulfillment, so add mailing materials and postage to costs to your budget. Although Amazon can fulfill books, if you are printing a minimum run, it is better to do the fulfillment yourself. The Amazon.com “see inside” feature is extra, but it will help sales. People always want to see something before they buy.
More free book marketing guide & advice …
- Blog or website. You need to build traffic for marketing to be effective as you can see in this free book marketing guide. Start a blog before you print books. Write 1 or 2 new posts a week, and write a minimum of 300 words. Add a photo. Authors have websites to sell books, but more books are sold on Amazon. They drive more traffic. Your site is an invitation to buy the book, provide information, and showcase your book. Add an email sign-up. Think of this as book marketing, not book selling.
- Work with a book designer. Books requires book designers who are proficient using InDesign. They should regularly create books. Experience using InDesign to create brochures is seldom as professional.
- Print books. We guide you though through the process and handle details. You will see physical color proofs, and all foreseeable costs are in your quote.
- Ebooks. Cost is minimal if your ebook is just text. Standard formats scroll from page to page. Books full of illustrations or photography require a fixed-layout. It is made from a PDF. We create ebooks too.